June 2009 Archives

Il Cane Rosso, the new rotisserie and sandwich shop from Daniel Patterson and Lauren Kiino, is due to open July 13 in the old Mistral Rotisserie space in the Ferry Building. The pair first started working on Bracina, across the bay in Oakland's Jack London Square in 2008, but that project has hit delays as the Jack London Square development drags. Now, the second project is going to open first with Patterson running the business side and Kiino managing the restaurant (she'll also run Bracina when it opens in a few months). Kiino, former chef de cuisine at Delfina, met Patterson when she staged at Coi after leaving Delfina on the last day of 2007. We caught her on the phone to talk about the experience of starting not just one but two new restaurants her first time out. She also snuck us a copy of the opening menu.

A ton of restaurants are doing recession-busting specials these days, which is good, but we've got to give credit to Lark Creek for beating everybody to the punch by about six years. This July will be the seventh annual half-priced wine month for the restaurant group, in which every wine on every list at every restaurant is marked down by 50 percent at brunch, lunch, and dinner for the whole month of July. In San Francisco that includes One Market and Lark Creek Steak, but you've got options in the North, East and South Bay as well. Hope you're thirsty.

Photo via e.t/flickr

Here's a good video overview of the Golden Glass event from the Golden Glass event Jne 21. The prescription from Delfina owner Craig Stoll on how to handle yourself at this event in future: "Come in, get a glass, make your way slowly and methodically around the room." Video after the jump.

What might have been the last Republican stronghold disappeared from San Francisco when the Jones Roadhouse shuttered this month. During last year's election, democrats held parties all over the city to support Barack Obama, but only one tiny watering hole, wedged up in the Marina right by the Presidio, staunchly hosted the city's seven or eight republicans in cheering on John McCain. On November 4, the bar and grill hosted the quietest election night party in town as republicans watched their candidate deliver his concession speech. The SF Weekly even reported on the glum proceedings attended by Dana Walsh, the republican who challenged Nancy Pelosi last year. Now that it's closed, bought out by the team behind Bin 38, it's unclear where the local republicans will gather for future. Fortunately, they've got until November to decide.

Previously: Election parties and debates [MenuPages SF]

Photo via Norcal Buffs

The Smuggler's Cove contest stumped us after day one, but other, brighter bulbs persevered in solving the series of puzzles that revealed the location of Martin Cate's new rum bar, slated to open this fall in the Jade Bar space. Today the boozy powers that be announced that Chris Huning has won the grand prize, which we hear is a bar tab at the new spot. To see how he did it, click through the jump.

• Among the lingering cravings that are an occupational hazard for Michael Bauer are Flour + Water's Maltagliati with brown butter braised giblets, Brown Sugar Kitchen's cornmeal waffles, and Foreign Cinema's profiteroles. [SF Gate]

• There's a Mission District alternative to Valencia Street that also has a lot of shops and new restaurants. It's called Mission Street. [Mission Loc@l]

• Plainview Milk Products Cooperative, which sells ingredients to food distributors and manufacturers, is voluntarily recalling a number of its products because of possible salmonella contamination. [Reuters]

• Denny's is trying to rebrand itself as a late night spot for young adults with menu items created by bands like Good Charlotte. [WSJ]

• You could be the next Audrina Patridge: Carl's Jr. is looking for women to pornily eat their burgers in new ads. [Videogum]

• Last night's Law & Order: Criminal Intent featured a struggling chef as a suspect and a food news blog called PotLuck. [Serious Eats]

Michael Bauer finally got by RN74 for his much-anticipated review, and gave Michael Mina's latest project a solid three stars all the way around. The cassoulet stood out as a highlight of the wine-friendly menu, as did pate de campagne. Of course, the wine list was a star and the specials list on the train board "adds an exciting element to the room." The design-heavy space and casual-but-skilled waiters support Bauer's assertion that the place is "a great wine-centric restaurant that gives the wine bar concept a white-tablecloth turn." [SF Chronicle]

Photo via SanFranAnnie/flickr

What's in a name? To mark the Fourth of July, OpenTable has released a list of its diners' top 50 restaurants for American food nationwide. Only Michael Mina made the cut in San Francisco, but a few other California destinations got on there, including the, um, French Laundry. [Via OpenTable]

While you'll usually find us staunchly on the Northern California side in the great burrito debate, one thing always sticks in our craw about parts north of the Grapevine: You just can't find California burritos around here. Fortunately, Broke Ass Stuart discovered the French-fry-stuffed blimps for sale at Taqueria Los Coyotes. The best part: From 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, burritos there are two for one. Unfortunately, what money you save in burritos, you'll probably have to spend in new, larger pants. [Broke Ass Stuart via Eye on Blogs]

Previously: Threads Up: California Burritos

Photo: Via Burritoeater

Tony's Pizza Napoletana opened Saturday to crowds as eager to watch a show as to eat a pie. Tony Gemignani has won nine dough-throwing championships as well as awards for the things he does to his dough after it lands, so crowds were eager to watch the International School of Pizza founder in his natural setting in the kitchen. The 70-seat restaurant cranked out about 100 pizzas on its first day in business, co-owner and school administrator Nancy Puglisi said today. While students will use the kitchen for lessons some mornings before the restaurant opens, Puglisi said all the pizzas sold in the restaurant will be made by pros overseen by Gemignani himself. "Every pizza needs to be approved by Tony when it comes out," she said. But while Puglisi said the feedback on the food has been positive so far, we know there's just as much interest in Gemignani's edible acrobatics. Check out a video of Gemignani at work in his new digs, courtesy of Food Nut, after the jump.

Locals Only: Mission Mission happened upon a promotion from Blowfish Sushi, where if you show them your 94110 zip code you can get 50 percent off your cocktails. Not a bad deal for you Missionites. [Via Mission Mission]

Another day, another national best-of list. This time it's the American Automobile Association with it's roundup of the United States' "top historic hotels." San Francisco made the list with the Sir Francis Drake, home of the Starlight Room. The "grand dame" with the "colorful past" and an indoor golf course walks the line between the seedy Burlington, a former brothel in Port Costa, and the staid Mark Hopkins Intercontinental on Nob Hill, both of which would have made our list. [Via AAA Travel Views]

Photo via Frank Tobia/flickr

In honor of Pride yesterday, Bay Area Bites has a great general shout-out to the gay and lesbian chefs, restaurateurs and other food personalities that help make our city such a culinary Mecca. In particular, we thought the mention of 2223 was illuminating to the feeling of empowerment and belonging such a community can foster: "I still remember walking into 2223 Market one night near the end of June last year, and feeling like everyone there was gay. Gay couples, gay friends, gay parents--it was just like being in the straight world, except this time it was all ours." [Bay Area Bites]

• The anonymous winner of a $1,680,300 steak lunch with Warren Buffett will donate his bid to San Francisco's Glide Foundation, Buffett's charity of choice. [Bloomberg]

• The California Department of Fish and Game voted to restrict local herring fishing after last year's run hit a 30-year low. [SF Examiner]

• The Examiner thinks it's bad that Nestle, whose U.S. operation is based in Glendale, Calif., can get away with refusing to disclose inspection reports or to allow federal regulators access to its plants that produce Toll House cookie dough after the dough was recalled last week. [SF Examiner]

• This year's Fancy Food Show reflects the tough economic times with smaller samples and more inexpensive products. [NYDN]

• There's no reason that jug wines need to be terrible. [WSJ]

• Summer restaurant jobs are still plentiful, despite the economic situation. [Diner's Journal/NYT]

Many folks haven't sufficiently recovered from the shock of Michael Jackson's death to organize major tribute events for the King of Pop, but a few are out there, and there's probably a lot more we haven't heard about. For now, try these on for size:

• Oakland's Ruby Room hosts a free Jackson tribute DJ night with "MJ, Motown, Northern Soul, & Old School hip-hop all night long" (well until 2 a.m.).

• The Marina's Gravity Room will also have a tribute night with a guest DJ. Admission is free if you dress up like the King.

• On Sunday, swing by 330 Ritch, where we hear Ankh Marketing is throwing a Jackson tribute with DJs Mr. E, Ant One. [Via SF Weekly]

• While it's not exactly at a bar or restaurant, we bet attendees of Saturday night's candle-light vigil for the King at Church and Duboce (time unknown) will serve as a good launch point to swing by the Mint, just two blocks away, for some Karaoke.

Image via tipoyock/flickr

Stay cool, I'll see you next summer: Medjool owner Gus Murad must be glad he has such good friends. As the politically connected restaurateur prepares to appeal the city's finding that his roof-deck violates zoning laws, the Examiner floated the rumor that Mayor Gavin Newsom and Supervisor Sean Elsbernd will attend a fundraiser there next Tuesday for Plan C, a political action committee lobbying for easier condo conversions. Murad's appeals hearing is scheduled for July 8, and we'll be surprised if the subject doesn't come up as the well-connected admire that view. [SF Examiner]

Piazza Pellegrini's new cable car-shaped outdoor cafe won't debut this weekend as hoped, thanks to last-minute electrical, plumbing, and permitting delays. Instead, owner Dario Hadjian says he's going to debut the cafe on July 4 with a big, American-style cookout featuring "good old nathan's hot dogs, corn on the cob, watermelons." It does not appear that the hot dogs will be eaten competitively, but we'll let you know if that changes.

Previously: Cafe Pellegrini Cable Car to Open Next Week

Photo courtesy of Dario Hadjian

With thousands of revelers ready to flood the Castro for Pink Saturday tomorrow, the iconic Cafe Flore won't keep its famed outside patio open overnight, even though the city gave it permission to do so weeks ago. "We're not geared up with the staffing and stuff like that so we're not ready to do it yet," owner JD Petras told us between frantic Pride planning meetings. For the past year or so, the cafe has been closing at 2 a.m., operating on a trial basis to support its bid to stay open all night. You may recall that in 2007 Petras claimed he wouldn't be able to stay in business without the extended hours. On May 14, the Planning Commission approved the extended hours, and a few weeks later zoning administrator Larry Badiner signed off on it. By that time, though, planning for Pink Saturday was too far underway for them to deal with changing the hours so the Flore management decided to hold off on the change until after this weekend. Soon enough, you should be able to enjoy that lovely patio any time of the day or night.

Photo via stevendamron/flickr

For those of you who missed it, Serious Eats yesterday ran a lengthy treatise on one of our region's under-celebrated foods, the Dutch Crunch roll. This peculiar little foodstuff is taken so much for granted that we didn't even realize how local it was until Carey Jones reminded us it's practically unavailable outside the Bay Area. Did you ever wonder how they get the crunchy top on there? "The bread is coated with a wash of rice flour, butter, sugar, and yeast. In the oven, the top crust splits and browns, giving us that distinctive streaked or spotted crust." There you go. As for the name, it seems the bread bears some resemblance to a similar Dutch product called Tijgerbrood (Tiger Bread), but that still doesn't explain why it's such a localized thing. That lingering question aside, we're suddenly very hungry. [Via Serious Eats]

Photo via star5112/flickr

Michelle Obama addresses volunteers at Bret Harte Elementary School while Maria Shriver looks on. Photo via ProComKelly/flickr.

The Chronicle's Leah Garchik has an answer to the question lingering on everybody's minds after first lady Michelle Obama's visit last weekend: Turns out she ate at Fino, in the Andrews Hotel on Post Street. "The first lady ordered prawns with ravioli, and personally paid the bill for herself, the girls and her mother. This came to just over $100, in addition to which she tipped "something like $27," said [hotel general manager Oscar] Morales. The party left by 8 p.m., returning to the InterContinental Mark Hopkins, where they were staying." Class act, that Michelle Obama. But you knew that. [Via San Francisco Chronicle]

• A Berkeley couple took the "food stamp challenge," eating meals cheaper than a dollar for a week, with the added twist of trying to stay healthy. [East Bay Express]

• Michael Bauer would like to remind you that the Chronicle picks up the tab on meals he reviews. [SF Gate]

• Gotham Books has bought the rights to Grant Achatz's memoir Life On the Line, slated for publication next fall. [MP: Chicago]

• Over 2,000 specialty food purveyors will exhibit at the Fancy Food Show in New York, which starts this weekend, but most consumers won't get to taste the products until they hit supermarket shelves. [City Room/NYT]

• India's security forces are mixing one of the world's hottest chilli powders into hand grenades. [Reuters]

• Bauer gave today's food section a miss, so the onus was on Carey Sweet to review San Anselmo's Dream Farm. She liked it well enough for its big portions of simple food, calling it a "solid, satisfying spot," with little room for improvement. But giving it two out of a possible four stars indicates there actually is 100 percent improvement potential. So, there's that. [SF Chronicle]

• Paul Reidinger hit up Bar Bambino and found little bad to say about it, other than it is cramped and the white-bean-and-tuna salad is drab-looking. Other than that, he seems utterly charmed, and even seems to have been transcended a little, calling one pasta dish a "miracle." [SFBG]

• Meredith Brody hit up Noodle Theory before they even got a beer and wine license. She liked the cucumber soft drink and found the high-end noodle soups to be the "stars." Appetizers were hit and miss, it seems, including grilled salmon over greens that fell flat. [SF Weekly]

Bar Bambino photo by Brett L./flickr

When Mazu opens in the Rohan Lounge space in mid-July, it will likely be without a liquor license of any kind, an unusual move for a restaurant/bar that is racing to finish renovations and get city permits to open as soon as possible. But owner KK Salamin, who worked at Rohan, says the rush is all about keeping momentum. "[Rohan Lounge] closed so abruptly and people were disappointed when it did. But it wasn't closed because nobody was coming in. It was bad management," Salamin said. She said the team, which includes chef (and sister) Silma Salamin and Rohan co-worker Leah Abiol, wants to make the place their own but keep Rohan's neighborhood-international feel (and customer base). Expect to see some old best-sellers like the fried tofu, kalbi and bulgogis, as well as new pan-Asian dishes like noodles and lumpia, courtesy of chef Silma Salamin, as well as a "classic cocktails" menu of Rohan's drinks. Until the liquor license comes in, they'll focus on food, soft drinks, and inertia. "We're going to rely on the fact that Rohan had such a good following. My hope is that they come in and see that the same workers are there, and they have some of the same dishes," KK said. Check out the menu after the jump.

The ABC has been hounding some of San Francisco's all-ages venues for months, charging them with violating their liquor licenses because they make more money from beer sales than they do from food (duh). Yesterday, the Guardian reported that not only is the policy requiring these clubs to sell equal amounts of food and liquor not actually a law, it's led to the temporary closure of the Buckshot and the suspension of Revolution Cafe's liquor license. Another 10 or so venues face crackdowns, which are starting to drain them financially and morally as the legal battles drag on. In a video produced by 7x7 that ran yesterday, Slim's co-owner Guy Carson invokes the spectre that such crackdowns, based on arbitrary rules could conceivably affect every single restaurant in town. Check out the video after the jump.

With Gay Pride Day around the corner, the Tenderblog reminds that one of the first instances of militant queer resistance went down three years before Stonewall, when transgendered people fought police at Gene Compton's Cafeteria in the Tenderloin. In short, transgendered people congregated at Compton's because they were not welcome in gay bars in 1966. Cross-dressing was illegal at the time, and police could use their presence as an excuse for raids and closures. When cops came to raid Compton's one night, an officer manhandled a transwoman who threw her coffee in his face, sparking a riot that left the restaurant in shambles, a police car's windows broken out, and a newsstand burned down. Why this never took off as a rallying point, we can't say, but you have to admit that "Compton's Cafeteria Riot" just doesn't roll off the tongue. Check out the video documentary clip after the jump. [Via Tenderblog]

This month's Playboy has a roundup of the country's best sandwiches, and they hit the mark by including Saigon Sandwiches on Larkin Street. Of course they couldn't resist a knock at the Tenderloin, saying the cheap sandwiches are a "hand-held meal so shockingly good that even Pacific Heights housewives in their Manolo Blahniks risk stepping on a used syringe or condom for a taste." This seems a little unfair seeing as how the particular block where Saigon sits is across from the state and federal courthouses, and therefore a no-go for junkies and prostitutes. But whatever. We're just glad for the attention. [Via Playboy]

[Photo: Via stu spivack/flickr]

• Miette founder Caitlin Williams Freeman makes modern art-inspired pastries for the Blue Bottle coffee stand in the SF MOMA. [SF Chronicle]

• Fancy coffee has been a big deal at a lot of restaurants, but Michael Bauer points out that the common man also enjoys a cup of high-end brew. [SF Gate]

• Classy: PETA has erected a billboard reading "Meat Kills" outside of the Scotland hospital where a pregnant woman recently died of swine flu. [Copyranter]

• All Starbucks iced coffee comes sweetened unless otherwise specified. [Newsday]

• Wolfgang Puck is lobbying ICANN to add .food to the list of top-level domains. [Eat Me Daily]

Look at this beautiful picture. Alexis Wright took this at the Slow Food Taste Pavilions last year and it's been sitting quietly ever since. You're seeing it now because she's filed it in our brand new flickr pool. If you have beautiful, funny, strange, or delicious food-related photos, we'd love it if you'd do the same. And if you're so inclined, we'd love it if you'd join the group. This city looks great on a plate, and we'd like you to help us convey that.

The Embarcadero is getting a new restaurant with so much vegetation its only rival may be the nearby farmers' market. The Plant Cafe Organic, an offshoot from the Marina location formerly known as Lettus, bills itself as the "greenest cafe in San Francisco," and the menu and decor do seem to fit the claim. Designed by the architecture firm of Cass Calder Smith, who did the nearby La Mar Cebicheria the space is LEED certified and built with reclaimed and recycled materials. Organic vegetarian dishes dominate the menu, which features a house-made veggie burger. But perhaps the most emphatic adherance to the "green" theme comes in the form of a "living green wall" of plants designed for the dining room by Flora Grubb. The cafe opened last week for coffee and pastries and the restaurant has been in soft-launch mode, but opens to the public tomorrow. Check out the lunch and dinner menu after the jump.

Pican's Southern Charcuterie Plate, via inuyaki/flickr

A lot of restaurants have been changing around their hours and service lately, and it's getting confusing even if you are paying attention. Let's try to get those recent changes in one place:

• Pican, in Oakland, has started serving a weekday lunch (menu pdf) from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sunday brunch (menu pdf) from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

• Town Hall has started serving their al fresco barbecue (lucky you if you got in on the free rib feast Monday). You can get yours in the courtyard Monday through Friday 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and keep up with their updates through the twitter feed (natch).

• As we've mentioned, Jai Yun is now serving lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and actually accepts walk-ins at that time.

As neighbors' questions began to stack up around the so-far mysterious Pi Bar, set to go into the the old Suriya Thai space at 1432 Valencia St., the new owners put up a friendly note in the window addressing some concerns. To summarize: They'll do thin-crust pizza seven days a week using locally sourced ingredients, accompanied by high-end beer and wine. Yes, there will be slices. No, they didn't paint over the mural (it was the landlord). Yes, they'll have vegetarian options. Burrito Justice transcribed the note in its entirety, which you can read after the jump.

He hasn't even been the host a solid month, and already the Tonight Show's Conan O'Brien has worked in two plugs for his favorite new burger joint, In-N-Out. On June 3, Tom Hanks schooled O'Brien on how to order from the secret menu (animal style, in particular). Serious Eats caught last night's episode, in which the New York transplant claimed the local chain's burger as his top pick in a conversation with guest Cameron Diaz.

Twenty years after the Oakland A's last World Series win, a handful of vets from the legendary 1989 team gathered to watch their proteges lie down for the Giants last night. Fortunately for their fans and alums, the lagging A's are working some more successful side angles to baseball, including wine. If you're an Athletics fan these days, you definitely need a drink. W. Blake Gray brings us a review of Oakland A's Merlot, made by Napa's Markham Vineyards especially for the team: "This is just what you want in a ballpark red: It's rich and smooth, with nice black fruit flavor and no rough edges. I smelled a bit of lumber (oak) but didn't taste any." Apparently Markham's president, Bryan Del Bondio, produces the stuff out of a love of baseball rather than the small profit he gets from the few hundred cases of red. He gets to go to some games, and the fans get another option to distract them from what is shaping up to be a season of frustration. At least tonight's game has $1 hot dogs. [Via W. Blake Gray]

Image via Collect Sports

• Harry Denton is among a quiet group of sober alcoholics who still work in the bar and restaurant business. [NY Times]

• A barbecue fire in Martinez torched a car and part of a house, causing $10,000 worth of damage. [CoCo Times]

• Michael Bauer is working on a seafood platter feature, and would like your suggestions. [SF Gate]

• The ads for Burger King's new "Super Seven Incher" Sandwich aren't exactly subtle in their fellatio imagery. [Gawker]

• The American Medical Association recently put out a resolution promoting local, sustainable food. [The Atlantic Food Channel]

• Fast-casual restaurants are in an all-out pricing war and some worry that the discounts could spoil profit margins forever. [NYT]

Tablehopper brings good news this week with word that E & O Trading Co, which had been closed after a fire at the beginning of the month, is back open. On the other hand, Coi will close its doors at the end of this month, going dark from June 28 through July 8 for a kitchen upgrade. [Via Tablehopper]

Photo via Doortoriver/flickr

Get ready for the best Mission Street Food since bacon snow. This week features the Moss Room's Ben Coe, Blake Kutner, and Angela Gong riffing on the classics from the golden arches. Get ready for the "McRib Sandwich" (pork belly and smoky St. Louis rib roulade, cipollinis and ancho cress, $12), "Cactus Fries (with habanero-lime ketchup, $6), and a "Dulce de Leche Sundae" (with hot Mexican fudge and chile-cocoa pepitas, $6). The best part: It's a benefit for the Campaign for Better Nutrition's San Francisco Project, which helps kids learn about nutrition. Let's just hope this guy doesn't hear about it.

Next month's issue of Men's Health includes some tips on what to eat (aside from generic Viagra you ordered on the internet) to improve your sexual performance, including popcorn and tomato soup. According to the UK Guardian, "it's all to do with a nutrient called Arginine," which improves blood flow and increases sperm count. If you're looking for a little boost on the way home, stop by the Clock Bar for some high end popcorn with truffle oil, or grab a bag from the Bazaar Cafe to eat at your desk. If those aren't on your way we've got 34 other restaurants that have it. As for tomato soup, MarketBar's version with roasted pepper is pretty great, but here again we have 40 choices for you. New Yorker's Buffalo Wings is even open late. Just like the pharmacy.

Photo via sfllaw/flickr

Set to open next Monday, Bistro 24 will replace City Grill as Lupa Trattoria owner Stefano Coppola's second restaurant. A few months after opening the Grill in January, Coppola realized he just didn't have the time for both it and Lupa and he decided to sell. That's when 27-year-old Pierre Mange, then sous-chef at nearby Contigo, approached him. With experience at SPQR and Chow, and training from the California Culinary Academy, Mange persuaded Coppola to let him help revamp the restaurant instead of selling it. Now they're reopening as a wine-centric bistro with Mange running the kitchen. We caught up with Mange on the phone to ask him about the new spot on 24th Street.

San Francisco's offal-master and burgeoning Food Network star Chris Cosentino is going to grace the small screen tonight on a Barbecue edition of The Best Thing I Ever Ate (Food Network, 9:30 p.m.). He'll explore the world of grilled meats with with Tyler Florence, Bobby Flay, and Ted Allen. It's a little strange to see two Bay Area chefs on the lineup but just one Bay Area restaurant (Yank Sing and its Baked BBQ Pork Buns). Still, these guys travel a lot so they'll surely make their case for the rest of the collection. This is the first in a string of summer television spots for Cosentino. As he reminds us on his blog, the Incanto chef has a series in Chefs Vs. City (premiering in early August), and also shows up on Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations later in the summer. He's back from all that shooting, according to his twitter stream, hitting up Humphry Slocombe like he lived here.

Photo courtesy the Food Network

• First Lady Michelle Obama brought her message of volunteerism and home-grown vegetables to Bret Harte Elementary School, where produce grown on-site will soon be sold at farmers' markets. [SF Chronicle]

• Perhaps restaurants should provide little disposable flashlights with which to read the menu if they insist on keeping the lights so dim. [SF Gate/Between Meals]

• California's egg farmers are prepared to do battle with the Humane Society and legislature over the enforcement of chicken cage-bans. [Sac Bee]

• David A. Kessler, former head of the FDA, has spent years cracking why we crave certain foods, and revealing that food companies and chain restaurants specifically engineer their products to make us want them as much as possible. [NYT]

• The current state of global food is in crisis: one in six humans suffers from undernourishment, most are located in developing nations. [FAO]

• Stringent EU produce and livestock guidelines have left open a window for cloned food products, categorizing them as "novel foods" and saying they could be approved if they "do not present a danger for consumers, do not mislead them and are not nutritionally disadvantageous for them." [AFP]

Michael Bauer took a stab at Oakland's Barlata and found old-school Spanish charm and hospitality. He also found a proprietor obsessed with classic ingredients like Iberico ham. But the menu is pitted with faulty dishes that, in Bauer's words, "didn't come together." He hypes the service as "always on track," but only rewards that aspect with two and a half stars. Strangely, the "uneven" food also gets two and a half stars, but the restaurant overall gets only two. [SF Chronicle]

[Photo: via Barlata]

If you read Eater or the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, you've heard that the location for Smuggler's Cove has been revealed: It's the current Jade Bar space on Gough and McAllister streets. Even though he was trying to keep it mum for the purposes of his ongoing puzzle contest, Smuggler's Cove owner Martin Cate said he wasn't that surprised the information came out. "I'm not in any position to tell the ABC 'don't post it online, I'm in the middle of a puzzle,'" he said on the phone from Houston, where he was en route to visit the Ron Zacapa rum distillery in Guatemala. "I'm a little disappointed but it's OK. I knew it would happen."

The location reveal won't affect the contest, Cate said. People still have to solve the online clues in order to win. He said about 200 people are playing, of whom 100 or so are up to date with the clues. The next one drops tomorrow. In the higher stages of the puzzle, the first 60 people are asked to leave their names. "Typically those first 60 come in before an hour," Cate said. He wouldn't give up details about his plans for the new space, but said "you can expect a significant change in appearance. Mostly cosmetic, but it's going to be dramatically re-themed."

[Photo: Via Jade Bar]

Michelle Wilson knows from chicken and waffles. While she didn't found the original Roscoe's in LA, (as erroneously mentioned in the Chron's fried chicken roundup Sunday), Wilson did help start the three inceptions that graced Oakland during the 90s. She's been out of the restaurant business since 2000, catering and doing internet television, but with her new project Gussie's Chicken and Waffle's tentatively set to open July 6 in the old Powell's space on Eddy Street, Wilson said she's excited about her return to the industry. "I absolutely loved the restaurant business, and have missed it tremendously," Wilson told us today. "I started a corporation so I can open up this restaurant and maybe others if I'm blessed in the future."

The enigmatic Jai Yun has started serving lunch, which might be a good entry point to one of the city's most best regarded and most unusual destinations for high-end Chinese. Normally you go in here, you tell the waiter what you want to spend (dinner is a minimum of $55), and the chef makes you a multi-course prix fixe of whatever he wants. For lunch, you only have to part with a minimum of $18, and you get something in the neighborhood of four courses, including two smaller and two larger plates. Also, they accept walk-ins at lunch, which is a no-go at dinner. You still have to bring cash and whatever booze you want to drink, but the lower daytime price means you might actually have the cash on you to cover lunch if you happen to walk by hungry.

[Photo: Via Gary Soup]

Mark your calendars, aspiring celebrity chefs: Season six of The Next Food Network Star is coming, and they're going to be casting here next month. On July 26, head to the W Hotel between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. to try your hand at getting on the show. We realize that's a little far off, but we figured you'd want time to prepare. If you look at past seasons' results you'll see the Bay Area hasn't represented very well on this show at all. Except that time Guy Fieri won in season two. If you think you deserve a Food Network show more than Guy Fieri, we'd like you to enter. If you can't make it down there, but have video recording equipment, you can enter via the web or mail here.

At the Aspen Food & Wine Classic this weekend, Traci Des Jardines shared details on her planned expansion to Lake Tahoe. According to Eater, "it's going to be called Manzanita, and if all goes to plan, it's going to be the first name-chef, destination restaurant in Tahoe." Opening in the Ritz-Carlton Highlands this winter, the place will seat 94 in the dining room, 71 at the bar, and 100 outdoors when the weather is nice. In the press release, Des Jardinees said of the name, “The Manzanita tree is ubiquitous in California, but it particularly reminds me of the Sierra Nevada of my native state. I was inspired by the symbolism of the Manzanita tree and plan to create a menu that reflects the regions rich offerings.” [Via Eater SF]

• SalmonAid drew hundreds of people to Jack London Square to learn about conserving and rebuilding the West Coast's decimated Salmon fisheries. [Oakland Tribune]

• Francis Ford Coppola has included a picture of one of his vineyard's wines in an ad for his new film Tetro. [NYP]

• Tourists (and some locals) tend to fall in love with cable-car-convenient Pat's Cafe. [Sf Examiner]

• Hare Krishna communities are sponsoring "adopt-a-cow" programs to save their cattle sanctuaries. [WSJ]

• Iconic Pittsburgh beer Iron City is moving production to Latrobe, Pennsylvania. [WSJ]

We haven't really done much in the way of Father's Day recommendations, but the following two events are definitely things our father would enjoy, so maybe yours would too:

• The Salmon Aid festival stretches from today through Sunday in two locations. Starting with a salmon bake at Ocean Beach at 6:30 this evening, and then moving to Oakland's Jack London Square for the rest of the weekend, the event is all about educating people on sustainable fisheries management. If that sounds boring, well, it is, but as you learn how to restore the rivers and rebuild our decimated fishery, you get to eat sustainable salmon cooked by people from Waterbar and Fish, so suck it up.

• On Sunday, Fort Mason will play host to the 2009 Golden Glass, a massive wine-tasting event put on by Slow Food San Francisco and benefiting the Slow Food in School programs. The event includes more than 100 winemakers, both domestic and international, "who strive to protect, nurture, and revive the indigenous and classic varieties of their regions." They're organized by region. You stand to learn a lot, or drink a lot, or possibly both. Tickets are $20 to $60

[Photo: Via nagillum/flickr]

How does your garden grow? Quite well thanks, if you're Michelle Obama. The vegetable garden planted by the first lady and her grade-school helpers is producing scads of fresh food, and has served as fertile ground for lessons in nutrition and healthy eating. Now her helpers are going on summer break, and she hopes they'll take their lessons home. [Via The Washington Post]

Could street vendors already be jumping the shark? The folks at Fox Searchlight are pushing them in that direction. They're doing a big promotional thing this weekend where they hitch up with street food vendors across the country and give away food to the first 500 people who show up. Their San Francisco partners: The Tonayense truck and the Creme Brulee man. That's right, the very model of the new underground street vendor scene is getting on board with Fox. Comparisons to those graffiti ad campaigns of a few years ago spring to mind, but we can't complain too loudly. After all, it is free, good food. If you want to get yours, head to the Tonayense truck at 22nd and Harrison streets at 2 p.m. this Sunday. Creme Brulee guy will also be doing his at 2 p.m., but that location isn't announced yet. You'll have to follow him on Twitter, because that's how he rolls.

We told you last week about street food vendors getting smart with Twitter to avoid detection by the cops. Now it seems one of the Linda Street originals has come up with a simple workaround: The Amuse Bouche guy has gone vaguely legit, selling his confections at Schmidt's Deli, the new-ish project by the Walzwerk team. SFoodie got by there earlier this week and posted a little review of the Bavarian style Apfelstrudel, Rhubarb tarts and Cinnamon star cookies yesterday: "All three nice. And as far as we could tell, nobody was at risk of being busted." Works for us. [Via SFoodie]

[Image: Via Amuse Bouche SF]

Serious Eats came across this comic on Buttersafe and, it's hilarious. Click through to check out the burrito at the end and then tell us whether you think it's from Northern or Southern California.

[Buttersafe via Serious Eats]

Goodbye sweetheart: If you like excellent chocolate for cheap, you should swing by Joseph Schmidt on 16th Street sometime before the end of the month. According to SFist, they're selling off their inventory for 50 to 60 percent off before their new corporate overlords at Hershey's close them forever. [Via SFist]

The cable car parked in the lot adjacent to Piazza Pellegrini isn't a wayward piece of city transit but the new Cafe Pellegrini, due to open next week for daytime take-out service. Piazza owner Dario Hadjian said he had the old cable car replica sitting around for years and finally got around to converting it to a food stand over the last six months. Opening at 7 a.m. to sell espresso and pastries to the morning crowd, the cafe will feature a porchetta sandwich for lunch. "We're going to do barbecues on weekends. It's going to be really nice," Hadjian said on the phone from the parking lot. "We're going to add to [the menu] a little bit at a time as we go. But our specialty is going to be the porchetta paninis." There's still some equipment to install so there's no firm opening date, but Hadjian told us he hopes to be be in business before the weekend of June 27. Just in time for summer.

[Photo: Via Dario Hadjian]

• The Parkway and Cerrito movie theaters, once siblings who served pizza and beer, will soon reopen as competitors. Fortunately they will continue to serve food and booze. [SF Chronicle]

• El Bulli chef Ferran Adria's new beer is light and subtle, and available at BevMo for $10 a bottle. [Food Gal]

• The newly renovated Parc 55 Hotel debuted this week around the already-open Cityhouse restaurant. [SF Chronicle]

• Alain Ducasse wants to create space food for astronauts. [Bloomberg]

• Uruguay's El Garzón is one of South America's hottest new restaurants, despite being tremendously expensive and in a rural area. [WSJ]

• KFC's chicken giveaway snafu has resulted in a class-action lawsuit. [TMZ]

• Michael Bauer revisits Town Hall to find it fully southern after its more moderate opening cuisine in 2003. He gave the latest version three stars, calling the food "bold and delicious." [SF Chronicle]

• Paul Reidinger enjoys Terzo's "warm metropolitan glam" and finds many of the small plates to be smash hits, but some of them misses. Perfect onion rings seem to beat out underdone asparagus in his lasting impressions, and he found the lack of pasta didn't hurt the restaurant's performance a bit. [SFBG]

• Meredith Brody undertakes a sprawling feast at Bund Shanghai, with highlights including soup dumplings and meatballs. In the end she recommends it "unreservedly." [SF Weekly]

Potrero Hill's new "market gallery" Horatius opened yesterday, giving neighborhood residents and workers a new go-to spot for informal meals, high-end food products, antiques, and potted plants. Named in part for owner Horacio Gomes, as well as for the roman poet Quintus Horatius Flaccus (Horace), the 5,000 square-foot space seats just 50 inside, with another 16 chairs earmarked for the sidewalk. The rest of the space is devoted to imported and locally sourced cheeses, olive oils, wines, coffee, and other such artisanal products, as well as potted flowers and vegetable plants and home-themed objects-d'art (antiques, found items with plants growing out of them and so on). Chef Antelmo Faria, formerly of Sonoma's LaSalette, turns out a menu of sandwiches, salads and entrees for lunch only right now, but they plan to start dinner soon. Gomes said he landed on the poet Horace for a namesake because he liked the "carpe diem" (sieze the day) philosophy. He even plans to operate the store "in the moment," changing up his stock every month. "When they're gone, they're gone," Gomes said. Check out the menu after the jump.

Eat Me Daily today ripped into local blogger Kate Hopkins' new book, 99 Drams of Whiskey, bucking the opinions of Publisher's Weekly and Playboy (at least as reported in Accidental Hedonist). Reviewer Paula Forbes doesn't spit vitriol or write Hopkins off entirely (to the contrary, she even plugs the blog), but she does not pull punches in driving home the point that the book, which follows Hopkins and her friend Krysta on a tour through the whiskey-producing regions of the world with little historical lessons interspersed, lacks a defined arc.

The two women are trying to understand why a man they dub "Mr. Disposable Income" would spend £32,000 on a bottle of whiskey and then drink it all in one night. In the end, they come to an anticlimactic conclusion: it's because whiskey is awesome!

The Mission is getting so very many new pizza places lately. Just this year there's Flour + Water, Pizzanostra (okay, that's more Potrero Hill, but still), and the upcoming Pi Bar. Today, Eater reminds us, the latest spot opened in the form of Escape from New York. Pizza purists might balk at the local chain's new outpost in the old Tortas em Primo space on Folsom and 21 streets, but we're actually fine with it. Judge as you will, but that potato pesto pie is something of a comfort food. [Via Eater]

Reporter John Berman, Chipotle CEO Steve Ells, and rancher Joel Salatin at Polyface Farms

ABC News took a visit to one of the farms from which Chipotle sources its meat. Fat, happy pigs get to "express their pigness" at Joel Salatin's picturesque Polyface Farms in Virginia, which looks out of place in a fast food production line. We've got to hand it to Chipotle founder Steve Ells for doing the right thing by his meat products, but that lack of tomato paste in the rice still throws us for a loop. Whose call was that? [ABC]

[Image: Via ABC]

Elizabeth Falkner didn't fare so well on last night's episode of Top Chef Masters, but even though the Citizen Cake and Orson chef-owner didn't advance to the next round, we believe she held her own against Wylie Dufresne (wd-50, New York), Graham Elliot Bowles (graham elliot, Chicago), and winner Suzanne Tracht (Jar, LA). Falkner isn't the type to "unravel" in a flurry of F-bombs, as Grub Street points out happened to Dufresne. She's not the type to oversell her image, as Graham Bowles seems to have done with his whole punk thing. She's very composed in her exit interview, though pretty disappointed. She seems to really regret the Yam/papaya pudding she made for the Lost-themed challenge, not because it wasn't good but because she "doesn't like being in the middle of the road," which is where her three-and-a-half-star diners' score placed her. Perhaps she'd have gotten farther if she'd used more Dr. Pepper in the vending machine quickfire (Tracht and Dufresne both did), but we're glad she stayed away. Braised beef jerky was enough. [Via Grub Street]

[Photo: Via Bravo]

Our boys at We Eating hit up Mitchell's Ice Cream in their latest episode, with Nina Parks of Frisco Renaissance along for the ride. It's pretty interesting to hear owner Brian Mitchell talk about how his father started selling tropical flavors in the 60s, which appealed to Filipino immigrants in the 70s, helping give Mitchell's its trademark line around the block. Apparently it all came down to a Gerber baby food representative who had the hook-up for some good mango. Check out the video, and be as tickled as we were by the Cheers song at the end.

Not everybody is sad about Postrio closing. Tenderblog did a little jig on the restaurant's grave today:

My big problem with Postrio is that it always appeared to be a place whose marketing people said it was classy, so guys in striped shirts who pound Red Bull n’Vodka assumed: “Damn, that’s one classy place. Let me fire up the Mustang GT and go pick up Ashley for a night out!”

• Chef Gayle Pirie's father works as host at Foreign Cinema">Foreign Cinema every Friday. [SF Chronicle]

• An Oakland subsistence farmer lives off the land, eating well, but with very little money. [SF Chronicle]

• The teenage couple sought in the slaying of the girl's mother were found at a Red Lobster in San Bruno. [Press Democrat]

• Average Betty visits Big 4 Restaurant for a lamb-burger cooking demonstration. She also shows us the waiter's wine cork collection. [Average Betty]

• The U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation to improve food safety by giving the FDA new powers, including forced recalls. [Boston Globe]

Rachel Maddow took a break from talking news on MSNBC to be the guest bartender on the newest episode of Digg Nation, due to air today. The commentator has gained quite a reputation as a cocktail expert, starting with a video that ran on our parent site last year. While you wait to see her new tricks, here's a refresher:

Spiced caramels at Sweet

A new confectionary called Sweet nearly made us late for dinner as we stopped in for a bit of early dessert yesterday. Just opened Saturday in the tiny space between Sparky's and Crepevine, the Small Potatoes off-shoot deals in cakes, cookies, candy, and other tooth-rotting things. There was a chalkboard out front advertising cupcakes, but the last one had just been sold minutes before our arrival. We did manage to sample the house-made spiced caramel (caramel laced with cloves, cardamon and cinnamon), which was a lot like eating a caramel apple without the annoying apple part. They also had regular caramel apples on the shelf (if that's your thing), along with rocky road, and fresh marshmallows.

A lot of foodies, both industry and lay-types, will be quite sad this evening as Postrio closes its doors for the last time. Wolfgang Puck's first foray out of Los Angeles in 1989 helped launch this city's modern food scene, serving as an starting point for a string of now-famous chefs such as Anne and David Gingrass (TWO and Brix, respectively) Mitchell and Steven Rosenthal (Town Hall, Salt House, Anchor & Hope), and pastry chef Janet Rikala (Aziza), all of whom are in the kitchen once more for the final two nights of service. A facebook group for Postrio vets asks the question, "who was the most famous person you waited on?" with impressive responses including Madonna, Whitney Houston, Arnold Schwarzenegger, the cast of Melrose Place (remember it was the early 90s), David Letterman, and Spinal Tap (!), to name a few. Puck said he plans to start talking with the Prescott Hotel about a possible new project after the year-plus remodel, so cross your fingers. Meanwhile, Michael Bauer made it over last night, and reports Puck was on hand to "end the Postrio run by recreating the magic of opening night."

Previously:
Postrio Farewell Dinners Sold Out
Postrio Releases Farewell Menu

Photo: Via Postrio

The menu at Chicago's Moto is also a dish

We've seen a couple of unique pricing gimmicks in the last few weeks with Fish & Farm's single-price menu and Urban Tavern's pay-what-you-feel experiment, but almost all restaurants use more subtle strategies on their menus to try to separate you from as much money as possible. The Baltimore Sun's Consuming Interest blog lays out a few of those tricks in a post today.

Even though it may cost someone a million bucks, a San Francisco writer broke — and MenuPages Chicago confirmed — the overall winner of Bravo's Top Chef Masters (Do Not click the links if you don't want to know). GraceAnn Walden, who writes the Yummy Letter's Scoop column, dropped the bomb last week, and this week has a follow-up including her conversation with a few extremely pissed-off PR people. Apparently the chefs signed a contract agreeing to pay $1 million if they leaked the winner. Walden isn't giving up her source, but we'll give up her scoop. Click through the jump to find out who won Top Chef: Masters.

• Women learn to cook with fire at Live Fire Boot Camps with Mary Karlin, founder of Sonoma's Ramekins Culinary School. [CoCo Times]

• Six men have been charged in Marin County with last year's slaying of Bernal Heights grocer Tong Van Le. [SF Gate]

• Four Seasons' executive chef died of cancer Saturday in Manhattan. Sad. [SF Gate/ NY Times]

• Humphry Slocombe sure is sassy with its "Fetal Kitten" Warhol wall art and back-talky flavor subtitles. And they have bacon peanut brittle. [Foodhoe's Foraging]

• Legendary French chef Albert Roux will open his first American restaurant...in Texas. [NYDN]

• A British fake celebrity chef, who claimed to know Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver, has been unmasked and is facing jail time. [Sun]

It's early in the week but we're already raking up a flurry of openings, so we're going to go ahead and check them off for you quickly right now: Marino opened today in the old Frjitz space in Hayes Valley, and SFoodie's John Birdsall was on the scene to find himself less than impressed ("It offers a taste of Mexican home cooking -- as long as by home cooking you mean food assembled by someone living in a condo with access to a nice big freezer"). Down at the Embarcadero The Plant Cafe is gearing up to open fully, but at the moment only the cafe portion is up, doing coffee, tea, and pastries according to Eater. Expect them to start selling the whole vegetable-heavy menu as early as this weekend but no later than the following weekend. Finally, the Tablehopper brings us a couple of openings on the southeast side of town: In the old El Potrillo space at 300 Bayshore, you'll now find La Michoacana, complete with glassed-in patio. And fans of Dogpatch's The New Spot will want to swing by nearby Oralia's, a new sandwich spot opened by the same owners at Third and 22nd streets.

[Photo: Via tinou bao/flickr]

Even though it's not set to open until August 15, the J-Pop Center has started hiring staff for its cafe, which will serve Blue Bottle coffee and Delica rf-1 food. This is going to be THE place to sit and read manga comics in between anime films while wearing your brand new Sou Sou gear (there's going to be a store in the center) Their ideal candidates speak English and Japanese, are interested in Japanese culture, and love coffee. [Via Craigslist]

While a lot of Great American Food and Music Fest attendees are going to be getting refunds (more info on that later), some segment of the crowd actually did manage to eek out a good time. To wit: Our contest winner Susan Anderson and her family. Anderson wrote us yesterday and said that while they did have to wait around until the vendors switched from the failed electronic bracelet system, they got to do everything they wanted, and stayed till 10 p.m.:

By the time the lunch crowd died down, the lines became much more manageable. We ate at from every vendor that we had wanted to, including BurgerMeister Burgers, Pink's Hot Dogs, Katz Deli Pastrami Sandwiches and BBQ Wings, Tony Luke's Philly CheeseSteak and Italian Sausage Sandwiches, Chocolate Bouchons, Graeter's Ice Cream, Charlie's Chocolates, and It's It. Everything was delicious and freshly cooked, and there wasn't a loser in the bunch. Towards the end of the evening, most vendors didn't have any lines at all. We brought home so much food in takeout containers, that we had it for lunch yesterday, and still have some leftover!

[Photo: Via Alexis Wright/flickr]

In your scary crime news for the day, an Amici's East Coast Pizzeria delivery man was robbed and pistol whipped while on a delivery in SOMA. SFist reports that police found the man lying unconscious on Stillman Street near Third Street, "his undelivered pizzas by his side." An officer told SFist that the man's skull may have been shattered, but a co-worker said he's "fine," so we're going to hope for the best. You should probably avoid walking around on Stillman Street at night, though, as this was apparently the third such attack there in recent months. [Via SFist]

[Photo: Via With Malice Toward None]

We have to give Roadfood author Michael Stern credit for not being too obvious with his Bay Area pick in the list top 15 list from he and Jane Stern's new guide, 500 Things to Eat Before it's Too Late. In a Wall Street Journal article today Stern pointed to the Morning Bun, from Berkeley's Bread Garden, as the only Bay Area entrant in his short list. So kudos indeed, but we also wonder if he's missing something by not including — Mission burritos or sourdough bread? Of course, if he had chosen those things we'd be abusing him for being too obvious. We obviously want to have our morning bun and eat it too (sorry).

But we'd like to hear from you. What's your favorite road food in the area? Please have at it in the comments.

[Via Wall Street Journal]

[Photo: Via Berkeley Bread Garden/Yelp

• The vendors in danger of losing their spots at the Alemany Farmers Market will get to stay after all. [Eater SF]

• Recession-minded parents can take their kids to eat free at Oakland's Sadiedey's Cafe, Hobee's, and Chevy's. [Frisco Kids via Eye on Blogs]

• It turns out that Dubuque, Iowa has the highest average burger cost in the nation at $4.29. The nationwide average is $3.12. [Telegraph Herald via A Hamburger Today]

• Roadfood's Jane and Michael Stern regret not including Korean tacos in their new book, 500 Things to Eat Before It's Too Late. [WSJ]

• Jean-Georges Vongerichten prepared halibut for Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Jimmy Carter at the United Nations last night. Security was so tight that only the chef and one assistant were allowed in the kitchen. [Crain's]

Two closings on the west side of town: Eater reports that Old Krakow closed its doors Sunday, though the owners are reportedly looking to reopen somewhere else in town. Also dark: The Ninth Avenue branch of Cafe Gratitude, which lost its lease in April and has been renting month to month. [Via Eater]

Pig carving at Cochon 555. Check the flickr set for more photos

You’d think that 300 pounds of pork at one event would be enough to make you never want to think about the other white meat again. But that didn’t happen at Sunday's Cochon 555, where five chefs each prepared a whole pig to be served with the products of five wineries (and one brewery). Nate Appleman (A16, SPQR) Ravi Kapur (Boulevard), Peter McNee (Poggio Trattoria), Ryan Farr (4050 Meats), and Staffan Terje (Perbacco) all brought their A game, with Krupp Brothers, Hirsch Vineyards, Elk Cove Vineyards, Arcadian Winery, K Vintners, and Magnolia keeping the crowd at the Fairmont Hotel's main reception hall hydrated.

Psycho Donuts' Massive Head Trauma

After thumbing his nose at his detractors for not wanting to debate him in public, Psycho Donuts owner Kip Berdansky will get his chance to bicker engage with one of the many mental health advocates who find his store offensive. Oscar Wright, CEO of United Advocates for Children and Families, will debate Berdiansky on KTVU, which will air the conversation at 6:30 a.m. July 11 (a Saturday) on the show Bay Area People. Get ready for the doughnut-based throw-down of the decade, folks.

[Photo: Via Psycho Donuts]

The Ad Hoc at Home: Family-Style Recipes blad just landed in the offices of our parent publication, and Grub Street has a post with the the touching back-story to Keller's simpler approach: The chef's father died during the early stages of the book's creation, and Keller cooked his last meal — a simple affair of barbecued chicken, mashed potatoes, and collard greens. The recipes in the book follow along those lines. On a related note, Michael Bauer has a blog post today about testing the new Ad Hoc fried chicken kit from Williams Sonoma. While the bottled coleslaw dressing proved to be a big hit, the chicken seems to have been a bit too much of a project for the payoff. [Via Grub Street]

[Photo: Courtesy of Artisan]

MenuPages writer Alexis Wright attended Saturday's Great American Food and Music Festival, so we'll go ahead and let her introduce what may have been the season's biggest foodievent bust:

We arrived at around 1 o’clock and knew things were going to be bad when we saw the endless-looking line that snaked its way around Shoreline Amphitheater. As we locked our car door a man walking back to his vehicle told everyone within earshot, “I wouldn’t waste your time, that line ain’t moving’.”

Once we made it through the gates we sort of wished we were outside in the line. Wall-to-wall people made it nearly impossible to move. It wasn’t so much crazy lines but a crazy mob, and it was unclear how anyone was going to get food. We finally made our way down to the empty media tent and wondered, what exactly, we were going to cover. A big mob of people with no food at a food festival didn’t seem right, so we decided to go back out and see if we could find someone that had actually eaten something.

It was hard.

We asked a San Francisco couple in line for Southside Market Texas Barbecue how long they had been waiting. “For the food or since we got here?” the man quipped. They said they had arrived at the amphitheater around 11:45am and didn’t get inside until around 1pm. At 2pm, they said they’d been line for 45 minutes and were happy to actually see the ordering windows and cashiers.

Walking through the crowds the complaints became a refrain:

“This is ridiculous!”
“This is a giant line for nothing.”
“This is probably the most unorganized festival I’ve ever seen.”
“Let’s get the hell out of here and go to In N Out.”

And it’s not hard to understand why people were so mad. Having a big food festival in a concert venue makes little sense. All of the food stands were outside of the amphitheater in the concessions space. There’s just not enough space for thousands and thousands of people to line up for a Pink’s hot dog or a cheese steak from Tony Luke’s. Maybe they thought that there would be more people watching the demos and musicians, but when you’re hungry and can’t get any food it’s hard to get excited to watch someone make what you’re trying to eat.

• Bill and Nicolette Hahn Niman takes a look at the why and how of the swine flu H1N1 virus, and the Smithfield Foods facility in Vera Cruz, where it seems to have originated. [The Atlantic]

• As cocktails get more complicated, so do bartenders' tools. The pros bring their own fancy jiggers, strainers, and muddlers to work with them, like a chef with his or her prized kinves. [SF Gate]

• A whole field of "food prophets" jostle for our attention, but favorites include Michael Pollan, Alice Waters, Morgan Spurlock, and Jessica Prentice. [CoCo Times]

• Christian "Hitsch" Albin, executive chef at the Four Seasons in Manhattan, died this weekend just five days after learning he had cancer. [AP]

• Next up on the list of nutritional bad guys: salt. Some doctors are pushing to make the issue front and center, in an effort to reduce hypertension and heart disease rates. [San Francisco Chronicle]

One of the old school of Mission District food vendors, the Tamale Lady (born Virginia Ramos) will celebrate her birthday at favorite haunt the Zeitgeist on Monday. They're doing drink and food specials (though curiously non-specific as to whether those include the famed tamales), and Cecil B. Feeder will show his documentary on Ramos. The party goes from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. [Image: Via Cecil B. Feeder]

After the Sexy Soup Lady was politely busted by the cops last weekend, and among predictions of further crackdowns, some of the ever-flexible vendors of Linda Street are adapting to the increasingly hostile environment by using their favorite tool, twitter. Both the Sexy Soup Lady and the Magic Curry Kart tweeted today that they would serve from undisclosed locations, which people could get by sending a direct message. On Tuesday, Hoodscope posted a list of tips for street vendors to avoid getting ticketed — stuff like change location, communicate with each other, use direct messages, and make your twitter profiles private. It seems people are listening, so let's hope it works.

Every year, Zagat's informal army of citizen reviewers reports to headquarters on their dining and drinking experiences, and the job falls to San Francisco editor Sharron Wood to compile those experiences, along with her own findings into a neat little black book. The 2009 edition of the Zagat Survey's Guide to San Francisco Nightlife came out Wednesday, bringing with it some bleak tidings on the state of the local bar industry. According to the survey, 48 percent of respondents say that they are going out less often, 34 percent say they are more price sensitive, 30 percent are going to less expensive places and 27 percent are ordering fewer drinks. With those sobering numbers in mind, we got on the phone with Wood to ask about her predilections and predictions. Among the casualties of this economy: The piano player at the Four Seasons. Is this really a world we want to live in? Find out after the jump.

Of note to winos: Eater reported yesterday that former Babbo wine director (and 2004 James Beard award winner) David Lynch will leave his latest post at The John Dory to come to Quince. New York's loss is our gain, with interest. [Via Eater]

Food, Inc. opens today, and while the documentary on our nation's food industry may be the summer's most virtuous blockbuster, the New York Times also called it the "scariest," and Hearst reviewer Amy Biancolli wrote, "I might never want to ingest anything ever again." Okay, so it's one to see after lunch. This is the first feature-length documentary from director Robert Kenner, who won an Emmy for the PBS show Two Days in October. MenuPages writer Alexis Wright chatted with Kenner this week to find out a little more about the man who hopes to rattle cages — rather, grocery carts — on a level with Upton Sinclair.

Alright, this whole Psycho Donuts thing is getting way out of hand. Protesters are still hollering about the Campbell doughnut shop being insensitive to the mentally ill, and owner Kip Berdansky is now hollering back. A commenter directed us to the Psycho Donuts blog, where Berdansky challenged his detractors to a public debate on... what, exactly? Whether the name is offensive? Some people obviously think it is. On whether he should change the name/entire theme? Because that's not going to happen. Anyway, whatever it is, Berdansky seems to be loving it: "After spending precious resources from charitable funding sources to militantly chase down a small donut shop in Campbell California, why not go the last mile?" Meanwhile, our commenter seems to be hitting a lot of the sites that have covered this, trying to drum up somebody to take Berdansky on. If this debate actually happens, we nominate this guy to be the moderator.

[Image: Via Psycho Donuts]

• The city wants to lure locals back to Fisherman's Wharf by, among other things, encouraging sidewalk dining. [SF Examiner]

• The Night Owl seeks out the best ice in Oakland. Spoiler: "Ice connoisseurs" go to Flora. [Oakland Tribune]

• Venezuela has banned Coke Zero, citing the beverage's possible health risks. [WSJ]

• In an alarming sign for T.G.I. Friday's, the chain has rolled out five major promotions in 2009 alone. [Salon]

• Poultry was the number one source of food poisoning in 2006. [NYT]

• Meredith Brody visited RN74 to find uneven service and food. When it hits, apparently, it hits, but it seems to miss just as often. [SF Weekly]

• Michael Bauer revisited Walnut Creek stalward Prima, to find it as good as ever, but with slightly inattentive service. Overall he gave it two and a half stars, but the service only got one and a half.

• Paul Reidinger took a stab at the new Fly Bar And Restaurant and found it consistent and good, with quality pizzettas, but he really seems to miss Brick, whose place Fly took in April. Fortunately, they kept the Brick burger. [SFBG]

• L.E. Leone played three soccer games without eating anything, and when the big moment came for her to get a burger at Marin Brewing Company, it was overcooked and dead. Can you just imagine the consternation? [SFBG]

[Photo: Via SanFranAnnie/flickr]

The letters are penned and the votes are in. It's time to announce a winner in the Cochon 555 contest. As you'll recall, we asked readers to send us a love letter written to their favorite fictional pig, the staff favorite to receive two tickets to this Sunday's festival of pork at the Fairmont (five chefs prepare five pigs with five wine pairings). Our winner, 47-year-old San Franciscan Tim Brown, actually wrote his missive in verse, to the pig that adorns Fergus Henderson's books and the menu of his restaurant, St. John. Brown, who works in web design, is a big fan of Ryan Farr's butchery demonstrations at Bloodhound, as well as Chris Cosentino's work with offal. We're glad to be able to send such a lover of the porcine. Check the winning verses after the jump. For those who didn't win, tickets are still available here, and word has it that you can get a $30 discount with the code "baconbits."

Chad Newton is one of those chefs who seems to really be happier in the kitchen than anywhere else. The Postrio and Baraka veteran took some time off after his most recent stint as executive chef at Urban Tavern, and exactly one week into his new post as executive chef at Fish & Farm he's all enthusiasm to be back in the kitchen. Fish & Farm recently went dark for a few days to do a bit of redecorating and to revise the menu, and when they reopened last week, they introduced a unique new pricing scheme: Every price listed on the menu is exactly what shows up on the bill, with tax and tip included. We got Newton on the phone to see how the new job is treating him, and how the new pricing method is treating the restaurant.

Fancy picnic food is all the rage right now. "Haute dogs," barbecue, pickles, sandwiches, and cookies are on the leading edge of trendiness, and if you can buy it on the street of from a vehicle, all the better. More evidence of the trend showed up in this week's Scoop, which reported that Foreign Cinema is planning a new, fancy hot dog stand, and that Town Hall will be serving outdoor barbecue throughout the summer. Meanwhile, Wexler's will take up the high-end barbecue mantle tomorrow. Now, if somebody could please start selling specialty, hand-knitted picnic blankets, and baskets woven from locally sourced bamboo, we'd be all set. [Via Scoop]

[Photo: Via Uncyclopedia]

Of all the thousands of restaurants in New York, Brooklyn-based singer Santigold told Blackbook today that her favorite place is Samovar Tea Lounge in San Francisco. "They should bring it to New York!" she says. We disagree. She should visit more often. Wouldn't you love to hear her sing "I left my heart?" Yes, you would. [Via Blackbook]

[Photo: Via Myspace/Santigold]

The biggest star of last night's Top Chef Masters was Gladware, for sure. Little opaque boxes with blue tops made cameos in just about every kitchen shot on the show, including taking up whole bookshelves in the tiny Pomona College dorm rooms that were the scene for the main challenge. The four chefs got their share of screen-time, though, and when Hubert Keller (Fleur De Lys) cruised to an easy victory, we can't say we didn't grin (and possibly make smug comments to a Bostonian friend). Other highlights included Kelly Choi's frighteningly stern attitude, Gael Greene's trademark hat, and the quiet realization that Jay Rayner looks a little like a British Howard Stern. The quickfire challenge involved cooking dessert for Girl Scouts, which Keller won by making chocolate mousse swans, and the second put the chefs in those dorm rooms with just a hot plate, toaster oven, and microwave to make three courses.

• Michael Bauer asks around and discovers that a lot of restaurants don't take reservations because the practice incurs extra costs and can actually reduce the amount of seatings per night in a small restaurant. [SF Gate]

• San Francisco's Urban Peasant SF focuses on a lot of ancient food preparation techniques, not the least of which is pickles. They make lots and lots of pickles. [SF Chronicle]

• In the face of the economic crunch, some strip clubs are toning down their upscale options, including pricey entrees. [WSJ]

• The House passed a food safety bill that would increase the authority and funding of the FDA. [WSJ]

• Top Chef winner Stephanie Izard has inked a deal for her cookbook How to Think, Cook, and Shop Like a Top Chef. [Eat Me Daily]

• Ted Allen and Rocco DiSpirito admit to eating junk food on occasion. [NYDN]

To help celebrate Italy's burgeoning craft beer renaissance, Incanto is teaming up with Magnolia brewmaster Dave McLean for a beer dinner on Wednesday, June 24. The $75 five-course menu includes pairings five vastly different beers, some of which chef Chris Cosentino has incorporated into the food (as with the fritto of duck bits with IPA aioli). It was brave of them to admit it, but as the folks at Incanto have said, "some Italian foods go even better with beer than with wine."

[Photo: Via WiggyToo/flickr]

Orson bucks the trend: The SoMa restaurant started serving lunch today, even as others around town whittle down their hours. Owner Elizabeth Falkner is a contestant on the new Top Chef Masters, but she's not on tonight's show. Is somebody stealing the spotlight? [Via SFoodie]

Tonight's Top Chef Masters premiere (Bravo, 10 p.m.) gets our locals on screen right off the bat with Hubert Keller, of Fleur De Lys, going up against Boston's Michael Schlow (Radius, 606 Congress, Via Matta), New York's Christopher Lee (Aureole), and Tim Love of The Lonesome Dove in Dallas. The show involves Girl Scouts, a classically hatted Gael Greene, and some very non-subtle product placement (we're looking at you, Glad. We can't stop looking at you). While we can't tell you who wins, we will spoil you this: Try to imagine Hubert Keller working the decks at a rave. Whatever your wacky mental picture is, you'll have the chance to fact-check it in just a few hours.

[Photo: via Top Chef Masters]

Our contest to give away tickets to the Great American Food and Music Fest this weekend has come to a close, and guest judge Matthew Hickey, of Musical Pairings, has picked our winner: Susan Anderson, of Stockton, submitted the below itinerary to win tickets for herself and her son, Lucas. Lucas is a big fan of Bobby Flay, Guy Fieri and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, and a cook at the Coffee House in Davis. Here's what he and mom might put away at the Shoreline:

1)Little Feat/"Dixie Chicken": Anchor Bar Original Chicken Wings

2)Big Bad Voodoo Daddy/"You, Me And the Bottle": Zingerman's Artisanal Cheese Plate

3)Marshall Crenshaw/"A Big Heavy Hot Dog": Pink's Hot Dog

4)Jeremy Buck & the Bang/"This Little Piggy": Bacon Sampler

5)The Rising Sound/"Sexy Sexy": Bouchon Bakery Chocolate Bouchons

Thanks for playing, everybody. Don't forget, there's still time to get your entry in to win two tickets to Cochon 555 this Sunday. Check out yesterday's reminder for more on that.

The ultra-sleek Sugar Cafe may seem a little out of place in the gritty Tenderloin, but considering its menu of paninis, fancy coffees and fancy cocktails, the move to start serving crepes for brunch couldn't be more fitting. Tenderblog brings word that the cafe/lounge with the fireplace and leather couches has started working the weekend chic crowd with a bloody Mary brunch advertised on the outside sandwich board but not on the website. In a neighborhood with a relative dearth of upscale brunch options, this news ought to be welcome to those tired of trekking out to the Mission for a daytime booze and crepe fix. [Via Tenderblog]

For a little food porn rendering of one of our hot new mobile eateries, check out Chrysanthemum's post from yesterday. Cocochanelella took the camera down to the truck after her night at 1015 Folsom (note: the truck is down the street from 1015, across from Terroir, as a reader points out. Sorry for any confusion). In search of bacon-wrapped hot dogs, she made do with lobster and garlic aioli soup, escargot puffs, foie gras torchon, and braised sweetbread with sherry. Unfortunately, all this wasn't quite filling enough, as, "I could have eaten doubles of everything and still eat a bacon hot dog." Wow. Still, the pictures are a good vicarious trip through Chez Spencer's mobile menu. [Via Chrysanthemum]

In a nice bit of synchronicity, we heard yesterday about two existing Richmond District restaurants that have both opened second locations right there in the Richmond. Eater reports that Pagan Restaurant opened a location at 751 Clement St. (in the old Eva's Hawaiian space). Meanwhile, Pho Hoa Clement opened an outpost at 5423 Geary Blvd., where Prince Cafe once stood. The new Pagan adds to a growing clot of Burmese places in the inner Richmond, giving Burma Superstar a run for its money. We can't help wondering why nobody wants to take this cuisine to a new neighborhood, though. A roti palata cart in the Mission would clean up. [Via Eater]

[Photo: Via Eating in Translation/flickr]

• The Silvercrest Donut Shop keeps it cozy on Bayshore Boulevard. It's an old-timey 24-hour joint with a bar for good measure. [SF Chronicle]

• Napa Valley restaurant accoutrements are finding their way into the Williams Sonoma catalog. [Between Meals/SF Gate]

• In response to the recession, many Americans are significantly curtailing their meat consumption, becoming, in effect, "flexitarians." [Gourmet]

• Fruit foraging and trading is on the rise with urban residents. [NYT]

• Norman Brinker, the man who made Bennigan's and Chili's household names, has passed away at 78. [NYT]

• Fine wine has long been a good investment, but those considering shelling out should be mindful that this won't always be the case. [WSJ]

As you may have heard, Wexler's is set to open in the old Les Amis space this Friday. The "new American" barbecue joint with Fish & Farm vet Charlie Kleinman in the kitchen will feature a lot of intuitive riffs on standard barbecue fare. Things like the pulled lamb sandwich dressed in watermelon and chile spiked vinegar, and dry rub crusted scallops take traditional barbecue and run with it a little, though if you want to play it safe you can still get things like smoked short ribs. One highlight: They took the classic late-night bacon-wrapped hot dog and put it on a plate. The futuristic interior by Aidlin Darling should (where the watermelon vinegar doesn't) help remind folks that they're not in a North Carolina shack. We're glad to see that the barbecue derivations don't stray too far from the classics, though. In fact, the whole thing seems to pretty expertly walk the line between overly modern and comfortable. We can't wait to see whether that balancing act extends to the plate, but that will have to wait till Friday. In the meantime, check out the menu on Thrillist.

[Image: Via Aidlin Darling Design]

After the few months' delay in opening that seems to be standard among new restaurants in this city (it was initially slated for March), Gussie's Chicken and Waffles is getting very, very close to its debut. Chef / owner Michele Wilson tweeted last week that the windows are in, and today an ad appeared on Craigslist calling for servers, food runners, cooks, a bartender, dishwasher and host/ess. There's a beer and wine license on file with the ABC, but according to the twitter stream, they may jump on the fancy cocktail bandwagon as well. But for all their online paper trail, we haven't heard a definite opening date yet, so let's hope they're just playing close to the vest and not hitting more delays. Wilson announced plans for a booth at the Juneteenth festival, so if you can't wait till they open, you can swing by there for a taste.

[Image: Via Logo Tournament]

The City Grill, which we recently pegged as for sale, is now closed, but according to Noe Valley SF it's going to be reborn as Bistro 24, possibly under the same owner. According to NVSF, "the domain name bistro24sf.com is currently parked on godaddy.com. And the beer and wine license is still held by the previous tenant, Stefano Coppola of [Lupa Trattoria]." Whatever the future of the space, that was one darned short lifespan for the jauntily signed City Grill, which opened in mid-January. Pity it couldn't share the success of its sibling. [Via Noe Valley SF]

[Photo: Via City Grill]

With one more day to go in our contest to win tickets to this Sunday's Cochon 555 at the Fairmont, the entries haven't exactly been flooding in, and one reason that's come to our attention is that the instructions might not have been clear enough. Let's go back over the challenge a bit more deliberately:

The event is all about the love of the pig, so we want you to write a love letter addressed to your favorite fictional pig. It doesn't have to be long (150 to 200 words will do fine), and you can take whatever angle you please (funny, heartfelt, surreal, self-effacing, sarcastic, etc.), but we ask that it be written to a particular pig. For example, here's the letter that won our identical competition through MenuPages Chicago:

Dear Pearl the Piglet from William Steig’s The Amazing Bone in which you found an amazing talking bone and walked around and had adventures and the bone got you into trouble and got you out of trouble all over again thanks to its miraculous talking powers and crafty ventriloquism and knowledge of foreign languages,

I love you. I love you because I was the kid who used to have trouble distinguishing things that happened to characters in books from things that happened to me and I had such an active imagination that it was plausible that I might’ve found an amazing talking bone and followed it down the garden path of idle hands and devil’s playgrounds, and I was a little chunky too, just like you, but when I thought back and thought that maybe I was having a memory of me doing that, I knew it wasn’t true, because I wasn’t a pig and you were. Also, you were a girl and I was a boy. Am a boy. A man. I mean. O jeez. I’m just saying. That you were a pig gave me a little clarity. Which frankly, I could use.

Love,
Seth

Previously: Win Cochon 555 Tickets
[Photo: Via MenuPages Chicago]

The seemingly endless conflict between the Tonayense taco truck and those concerned about its proximity to John O'Connell High School has finally come to an end, with the dramatic result that the truck will move up to the end of the block of Folsom Street near 19th Street. Steve Williams, the lawyer for truck owners Benjamin and Esquivel Santana, said all sides seemed fine with the compromise, which they worked out in the final days before the city-imposed deadline today. Ironically, while the truck owners went round and round with the school district, parents, and police over a city law banning food trucks from within 1,500 feet of schools, officials at the Gateway charter school over in the Western Addition were negotiating with the truck to serve on their campus. Gateway spokeswoman Tina McGovern said the school had at one point reached out to to the truck, but they never got as far as a written proposal, let alone actually serving. The brothers seem to be doing a fine business with the PG&E guys at 19th and Folsom these days, but Gateway never did find another truck to supplement its cafeteria. Taco Tuesdays will remain a disappointment.

[Photo: Via Burritoeater]

• SF supervisors are considering charging a city fee for each bottle of alcohol sold, starting at $.05 for a bottle of beer and going up from there. [SF Examiner]

• Michael Bauer agrees with a Between Meals reader that perfume and cologne can be really irritating in a restaurant, and can disrupt the dining experience, but there's not a lot most places can do, short of draconian bans. [SF Gate]

• After the city ejected a few vendors from the Alemany farmers' market, it's feeling the heat of petitions and protest. People don't like it when their bread supplier of 14 years is told he's not welcome anymore. [SF Gate ]

• Small craft brewers and Big Beer are joining forces to fight beer taxes. [Atlantic Food]

• A new test developed by researchers at Purdue could identify tainted food faster than current procedures. [NYT]

• British celebrities, including Terry Gilliam, recently posed nude to raise awareness about the scarcity of bluefin tuna. [Telegraph]

• Saveur's June/July issue was its biggest in history with a 22% rise in ad pages. [Eater NY]

A new Moroccan place called Aicha has already popped up in the Polk Street space that once housed De Afghanan Kabob House (And Mediterranean Spirit before that). Open exactly one week, they're currently doing dinner at 5:30 p.m., but said they'll soon be serving lunch, too. This seems like a nice little budget place, with prices on mains hovering in the $10 range and about $4-6 for appetizers. Check out the menu (pdf), then go get your zaalook and lamb kebabs. [Via Eater]

[photo: Via kali.ma]

For those looking to get one last taste of fiddleheads before their quick season burns out for another year will have your best chance at the Ferry Building's Far West Fungi, or Berkeley Bowl. A Chowhound thread notes that both of those places have had them within the last few days. You'd better go now, though, as their season is pretty much over. In a couple days you may eat nothing but tomatoes, corn, peaches, and zucchini until September. [Via Chowhound]

[Photo: via jblyberg/flickr]

We still have two tickets to give away to the Great American Food and Music Fest, and since it seems our existing contest asked a bit much in terms of entry requirements, we're lowering the bar a bit. We had asked you to submit an itinerary of which food you'd like to eat with each of the five bands on the bill, to be judged by Musical Pairings writer Matthew Hickey. Granted, that was kind of a big job, so we're reducing the requirement: Just submit one pairing from the festival menu and bill of bands, and Matthew will choose his favorite by noon on Thursday. Feel free to post your response in the comments or e-mail it directly to us. And don't forget, we have another contest right now in which you can win tickets to Cochon 555 this Sunday. Word to the wise: Your chances in both are pretty darned good right now.

Click through the jump to see the Great American Food and Music fest menu and bill of bands.

If all goes well (and in this city that's a pretty big "if"), Noe Valley will have a new cafe/wine bar in the old Last Laugh space on July 1. Noeteca Cafe co-owner Scott McDonald told us today that the city permits are pretty much in order and just a bit of light renovation, as well as finalizing the pending ABC permit, stands in the way of the opening. McDonald, who has a background in theater and currently works for the YMCA, is opening the cafe with Alex Kamprasert, a veteran of nearby Chloe's Cafe, and former Holiday Inn food and wine director. Kamprasert will write the menu and cook the food, which will include breakfasts of "quiche and French toast and various other cozy foods," sandwiches for lunch, and slow-cooked dinners like beef bourguignon and duck confit. They'll have wines by the glass, half-glass, and bottle, as well as a coffeehouse menu of espresso drinks.

The street-food crackdowns have begun. On Saturday, Sexy Soup Lady was shut down by the cops on Linda Street for not having a permit. While the bust seems to have been relatively civil and not aggressive, it likely indicates more such enforcement to come, as well as a loss in patience of Linda Street residents. @SexySoupCart tweeted, "Cops were kinda cool (warning, no fine)...seemed like they were called by Linda St. residents. Have to find a new spot... StealthSoupCart.;)." Last week, SFoodie's John Birdsall warned that authorities weren't exactly ignoring the Mission's unlicensed vendor explosion, so be wary of similar busts to come. [@SexySoupCart via Mission Mission]

[Photo: Via @SexySoupCart]

• West Oakland, where residents have long had to travel out of the neighborhood for produce or shop for food at tiny convenience stores, finally has a legitimate grocery store in Mandela Foods Cooperative [Oakland Tribune via East Bay Express]

• After a Haight Street development project that included a Whole Foods was abandoned, neighbors remain hopeful that a grocery store can move into the space where a Cala Foods once stood. [SF Examiner]

• According to Michael Bauer, many patrons are happy to wait for upwards of an hour at restaurants that don't take reservations. Most of those people don't seem to be Chronicle readers, though. [SF Gate]

• In-N-Out won Best Burger in Zagat's 2009 Fast Food Survey with McDonald's taking top honors for fries. [Zagat Buzz]

• At a new (decidedly non-vegetarian) burger restaurant in New Zealand called Murder Burger the staff wears shirts proclaiming "Meat is Murder." [Daily Telegraph]

• Audrina Patridge of The Hills is following in Padma Lakshmi's footsteps by promoting Carl's Jr. [NYDN]

As you no doubt know by now, Whisper is long-closed and the business is aggressively for sale. Food-oriented scavengers might be interested to know that they're liquidating a lot of the equipment (including "night club lighting" and booze) in a 10 a.m. sale at 535 Florida Street tomorrow. A lot of the stuff listed in the Craigslist ad would only be useful if you own a restaurant (unless of course you'd been wanting a meat slicer for your home) but they're also getting rid of things like skillets, pots and pans, a butcher's block, and "promotional items" (and did we mention booze?). Funnily, another CL ad hawks a "fully equipped" restaurant in the same location. Well, that's true for a few more hours anyway.

[Photo: Via Craigslist]

Those of you lucky enough to have snagged reservations for Postrio's closing dinners June 16 and 17 may want to stop reading now so as not to ruin the surprise. For the rest of us, drooling over the below menu is as close as we're going to get to the incredibly popular throwback meals, featuring classic early 90s dishes at the original prices, cooked by some of the original staff members (including many of this city's culinary stars). Click through to see the just-released menu.

Season Four Top Chef champ Stephanie Izard took a day in San Francisco and ate about 40 pounds of food, which she also blogged about. She made a lot of the standard foodie stops, including the Ferry Building market, Slanted Door, La Taqueria, Humphry Slocombe, Delfina (and the Pizzeria), and NoPa. Our favorite line was "Delfina was up first for dinner," because dinner really should involve something like four restaurants. Too bad they didn't hit up House of Prime Rib, though. That would break some kind of record. [Via Stephanie Izard]

[Photo: Via Stephanie Izard]

You've got to hand it to Martin Cate for keeping things interesting. The website for the rum expert and Forbidden Island founder's in-the-works rum bar, Smuggler's Cove, has a great game to keep you interested: You solve puzzles each day to learn more details about the secret location, and the first one to figure it out gets "handsomely rewarded" when the bar opens this fall. We're not going to give you the answers, but we'll show you what at least the first one leads to. Not much of a spoiler, but if you're really into this, you may not want to click through the jump. Anyway, check out this screenshot of the first clue. You enter the secret word into the box, and you'll be directed to the next screen.

You naturally have this marked on your calendar, but we'll remind you anyway: Today is National Doughnut Day. In celebration, Krispy Kreme is giving away a free doughnut to everybody who comes into a participating location (though there are none in the city proper). We checked in with Mission favorite Dynamo Donuts, who said they aren't giving anything away for free, but they've stocked up on bacon-maple Doughnuts for the occasion. Talk about the breakfast/lunch/dinner of champions!

[Photo: Via SanFranAnnie/flickr]

The owner of a shuttered Chinese restaurant who charged customers' credit cards over and over after his business closed is going to prison. We reported way back in 2007 that Phau Lam, who once owned the Home Menu restaurant on the SoMa/Mission border, had been arrested for the fraud. ABC 7 reported today that Lam was sentenced to three years, eight months in state prison after pleading guilty to 32 felony counts, "including grand theft, forgery and identity theft." He also has to pay back $28,000 to the credit card companies. [Via ABC 7]

• Michael Bauer took Serious Eats founder Ed Levine to Gialina Pizzeria, which he claimed was the best pizza joint in town. Fortunately for the B-man's reputation, it performed. [SF Gate]

• A court dismissed a woman's complaint that Cap'n Crunch Crunchberries cereal is misleading because it contains no actual berries. "This Court is not aware of, nor has Plaintiff alleged the existence of, any actual fruit referred to as a 'crunchberry.'" [Consumerist]

• Among a stack of legislation passed in Sacramento this week was a bill imposing nutrition requirements on daycare centers. [SF Chronicle]

• A little more on the Amuse Bouche Guy, or Murat the Muffin Man, as the Chron calls him: The French immigrant moved here for love, but found himself jobless. He started selling muffins to get by. [SF Gate]

• Despite being hit hard in last year's market fall, restaurant stocks are recovering nicely, with several recently tripling (or more) the value of their lowest points. [The Street]

• Lunch trucks are hip and popular, to be sure, but they're also changing consumers' expectations of lunch: local, organic, high-quality preparations are becoming the norm. [WSJ]

• Despite his financial troubles stateside, Gordon Ramsay is set to reopen Petrus, his flagship restaurant, in London's Belgravia neighborhood. According to Ramsay, the reopening marks a new chapter in his brand's life. [Bloomberg]

• Hopping across the bay not to Oakland but to Hayward, Carol Ness finds Bijou to be sleek and sophisticated, though lacking a bit of focus when it comes to the food. She gives a solid two stars overall. [SF Chronicle]

• Paul Reidinger takes a turn through Luques and Stable Cafe, and finds smartly appointed restaurants doing lunch with a bit of finesse. [SFBG]

• L.E. Leone gets a little surreal at the doctor's office, but finishes it all off with a garlicky, if a little salty, meal at Ton Yong Thai Cafe after having dinner with her out-of-town cousin in North Beach. [SFBG]

• Matthew Stafford heads to the Excelsior to give the Broken Record its long-overdue review. His conclusion: It's a good whiskey bar with a surprisingly sophisticated menu of sausages and smoked meats. We all kind of knew that, but it's good to see it acknowledged formally. [SF Weekly]

[Photo: Via pudgeefeet/flickr]

Today's Chronicle article about the Mission District's, um, "sugar trail," was a good reminder that the neighborhood has become a great dessert destination. The piece provides an excellent roundup of the neighborhood's brick-and-mortar sweet shops, but in this age of prolific street food, we thought you could use a summary of the mobile vendors hawking desserts in Dolores Park and Linda Street. Check out our own roundup of the Mission's more transient treats.

You've got to love the post SFist just ran on SF foodie-luminaries' guilty pleasures. Turns out Gary Danko loves gummie worms and while Michael Bauer is a big fan of fried chicken "(yes, even Popeye's)." But our favorite — and we bet this will be everyone's — comes from CHOW senior editor Lessley Anderson, who keeps her cupboards free of traditional junk food in order to avoid buzzed over-snacking, and so is reduced to "raisins, soymilk, and Brazil nuts mixed together with honey in a dirty coffee mug that I don't even bother to wash out, four-day old pancakes saved in a plastic baggy, shelf-stable hot chocolate out of the work vending machine, curly fries...." [Via SFist]

For those hoping to get into Postrio for a last taste of some of the classic 90s dishes made by some of the original chefs, we're sorry to say that the June 16 and 17 farewell dinners are thoroughly sold out. A reservationist said tables were snapped up by 10:30 a.m. today, and the waiting list is growing for the closing nights. Chronicle's Scoop reported that Wolfgang Puck himself will be on hand in the kitchen and dining room, shaking hands and maybe even doing a bit of cooking. Postrio vets returning to help with the finale include the Town Hall / Salt House / Anchor & Hope crew of Mitchell and Steven Rosenthal and Doug Washington, as will TWO's David Gingrass and his ex-wife, Brix's Anne Gingrass-Paik. Former GM Kim Beto and pastry chef Janet Rikala will also be there, along with current chef Seis Kamimura. After the closure, expected to last late into next year, there's no guarantee Puck will come back to the venture. He told Scoop he's going to start talking to the Prescott Hotel in August to try to negotiate a deal, hoping for a "wine bar/lounge with a 'not too expensive' menu". With a year-plus remodel to pay for, though, we're guessing low prices won't be the hotel's top priority.

[Photo: Via Postrio]

With Fish & Farm under the plywood till Saturday for a little renovation, news came out yesterday that chef Jake des Voignes will not be staying with the restaurant when it reopens. Instead, Scoop reported that Baraka and Urban Tavern vet Chad Newton will take over, simplifying the menu with "more Americana and hyperlocal ingredients... such as Liberty Ale battered fish and chips, and fried Petaluma chicken with black-eyed peas." As for des Voignes, F&F owner Frank Klein told the Chron that he would "pursue his passion for higher-end cuisine." When we find out what that translates to, we'll tell you. [Via SF Chronicle]

[Photo: Via Fish and Farm]

• The so-called "gross-food movement" has roots in San Francisco, like the bacone, created for bacon camp. [Gourmet]

• Local scribe Pim Techamuanvivit, of Chez Pim is endorsing Rachel's Yogurt and Cottage Cheese. [The Food Section]

• The deadline is approaching for all California restaurants to provide calorie and nutrition information at their own expense. [SF Examiner]

• As California enters another canceled salmon season, feds will release a plan today to protect and renew the Chinook fishery. [AP/SF Gate]

• The FDA is set to impose fees on food companies to fund safety inspections but industry groups warn the fees could lead to conflicts of interest. [WSJ]

• Maine's topless coffeeshop has burned down. [Boston Herald]

Cochon 555 hits San Francisco this month, and with a limited number of $125 tickets available we'd like to give you the chance to go for free. Two lucky winners will attend the June 14 event at the Fairmont, where five chefs (including Nate Appleman, of A16 / SPQR, Ryan Farr, of 4505 Meats and Ravi Kapur, of Boulevard) will prepare five whole pigs and serve them and five local wines to the 250-strong crowd. The winning chef, based on utilization, presentation and overall best flavor, will be crowned "prince of porc." At the Chicago version of this event, chefs made bacon-fat cocktails; donuts with mortadella mousse; and an Indian-Italian hybrid pork loin. How can you join in the fun? Full contest details are below.

Following on our earlier peek at President Obama's lunch habits, we have another high-profile burger clip to share with you: Bay Area native Tom Hanks came on the Tonight Show last night and shared with new host (and newly minted Californian) Conan O'Brien some of the secrets of ordering at In-N-Out. It's an important skill for a Californian, and we frankly don't think Hanks did a great job of deciphering all the terms. He mostly just tossed them out there. Check out the chain's official glossary, and this wider-ranging, unofficial guide, with pictures to show Conan exactly what he's getting himself into.

How much would you pay for a reservation at El Bulli next month? You can find out by bidding on this one for sale on eBay. Our sister site in Chicago came across a Beverly Hills woman scalping one of the world's most sought-after dinner reservations after splitting up with her boyfriend. The bidding starts at just $1,250, (free shipping, though). No bids so far, but there are still two days left on the auction. Anybody up for a last-minute trip to Spain? [Via MenuPages Chicago]

Today in recession specials: If you go to Luna Park tomorrow and say the password, "a trip to the moon," you get a 50 percent discount off everything during dinner and lunch. Dang. [@lunaparksf via @Citysearchsf]

As part of a series on the Obama White House, NBC anchor Brian Williams recently rode with the president to get lunch at Five Guys in Washington D.C. As our sibling site in New York points out, a presidential burger run is a lot like any other burger run, with the boss making sure everybody gets fries who wants them, then picking up the check ("What do we owe the president?"). The only real difference is the pack of media and security, and the near-genuflecting diners. [Via Grub Street]

• Top management and staff at BART spent $27,000 on take-out food and catering over the past year, among other expenses at places like the Apple store and REI. [SF Chronicle]

• San Francisco's Speakeasy brewery has a relatively new head brewer in John Gillooly, who has introduced a new line of seasonal beers, including some extra-strong (8 and 10 percent) varieties, and Rum Runner Rye. [CoCo Times]

• A Paula Deen fan went and got a tattoo of a stick of butter with the words, "butter, y'all" over it. Whoa. [Food Network Humor]

• Speaking of speakeasies, fake ones are popping up all over in "one of the strangest exercises in nostalgia ever to grip the public." [NYT]

• The Hold Steady appear in a print ad for Top Chef Masters, claiming they're excited to watch the show on their tour bus. [Pitchfork]

Constantly on the lookout for the "next big thing," food writer types sometimes seem to cast about a little bit to spot a trend. Twitter has made this easier. In what might be looked at as an example of crowd-sourcing a scoop, Food & Wine editor in chief Diana Cowin sent out this tweet this morning: "Could this be the yr of the snail? Had it in unexpected dishes: pasta at the Modern + asparagus at Ssam Bar. Need 1 more example for a trend." Some four hours later, Chris Cosentino picked up the thread: "@fwscout braised snails with trotters at incanto." And suddenly, snails are a thing. Call it what you will, but that's some pretty efficient trendspotting. Whether the 48 restaurants on our site whose menus list escargot will be impressed is another matter entirely.

[Photo: Via psd/flickr]

Yesterday we were amazed that in 18 hours at the 24th and Mission McDonald's, Mission Loc@l reporter Armand Emamdjomeh only managed to drop 10 tweets. We surmised he must be working on an actual piece of reporting, which he was, and which came out today. It's pretty good, in fact. Turns out the 24th Street McDonald's acts as a bit of a community center, with senior coffee klatches, groups of students after school, and studying college students, as well as a healthy dose of Mission whack-jobs. We're especially impressed with Emamdjomeh's fortitude on this whole thing, because after just a little more than an hour's sleep, we would not have been able to cope with 18 hours of McDonald's food and KOIT. [Via Mission Loc@l]

Noticing this morning that the recently shuttered Jack Falstaff is up for sale on Craigslist for about a half a million bucks ($495,000 to be exact), we thought the price a bit steep for the place. Then again, it includes a type 47 liquor license, which the ad says is valued at $80,000 to $100,000. There's also a heated outdoor patio, the fully equipped restaurant, and, "Corner location with hi identity." The ad claims the "owner" (presumably the Plumpjack Group) sunk $1.5 million into the property. All these numbers flying around got us thinking about another, similarly sized restaurant space on the market after the previous business closed. The old Whisper space, on which we reported back in April, still hasn't sold. Fully $200,000 cheaper than Jack Falstaff, that Florida Street space also boasts a full-service restaurant, an outdoor area (in the form of a rooftop patio), and a type 47 liquor license. It's actually bigger, at 7,500 square feet to Jack Falstaff's 6,151.

On June 13, the Shoreline Amphitheater will play host to a gaggle of culinary and music stars at the Great American Food and Music Fest, and in MenuPages San Francisco's first ever prize giveaway, we'd like to send you there, too. Briefly, the June 13 concert/food fest, curated by Serious Eats founder Ed Levine, features Bay Area restaurants and purveyors as well as others from around the country, such as Katz's Deli from New York and Pink's Hot Dogs from Los Angeles. One of our favorite old alt-country acts, Little Feat, headlines a bill of bands, who will share the stage with Food Network stars, with the whole thing hosted by Bobby Flay. Here's how you can win tickets: We'd like you to check out the attached lists of bands and restaurants, and come up with an itinerary of what you'd like to eat while each band plays. Give us a line or two as to what made you match the food to the band, and send that baby in via e-mail.

Details after the jump...

We were wrong yesterday about the likelihood of the Mr Prickles sign's safe return. On the very day when we said we "didn't have much hope," the thief actually brought Mr Pickles back home safe, complete with a new red bandanna. Mission Mission played a critical role in the return, drawing out the thief, whose identity was tracked down by a Yahoo employee, who passed it on to the blog. As pressure mounted, "The Pickler" dropped off the sign around the corner from the shop last night, safe and sound.

But we take issue with all the comments subsequently bashing The Pickler.

• An Oakland beekeeper makes a unique living not just selling honey, but capturing rogue swarms of bees to add to his production line. [SF Gate]

• The city's hodgepodge of signs can lead to funny juxtapositions, like Nob Hill's "Cleaner Taqueria." [The Snitch]

• Trader Joe's frozen avocado halves are too small, and do not produce good guacamole. They are a frozen foods fail. [Serious Eats]

• A new report from the Center for Science in the Public Interest finds that fast-casual restaurants like the Olive Garden are by far your least healthy dining option. [NYDN]

• Despite its show "Morning Joe" signing a lucrative sponsorship deal with Starbucks, MSNBC assures viewers that they'll continue to provide critical coverage of the coffee behemoth when warranted. [Chicago Tribune]

A spokeswoman for Michael Mina dismissed out of hand a claim on the Center'd blog that San Francisco's biggest exporter of restaurants is considering shutting down his namesake restaurant. We contacted a few Mina representatives to ask about the report on Center'd that cites "an anonymous source from the flagship restaurant" as pointing out that Mina's allegedly sweet lease with the Westin St. Francis is about to expire, and that key staffers have been quietly shifted to other Mina properties. We heard back from one who dismissed the claims as, "not accurate," and, "not fact," and declined to comment further. We're not going to get into the speculation game with this one, because there's just not much to go on, but we will point out that the last time the Mina Group's growth came up in the press, the San Francisco Business Times reported that they wouldn't expand any time soon, in part due to a drop in revenue.

[Photo: Via star5112/flickr]

A break in the Mr Pickles case doesn't give us much hope for the sign's safe return. Mission Mission reports that the flickr stream from a couple weeks ago turns out to be a pool associated with Hamburger Eyes, and that the actual photo was uploaded anonymously from a cell phone. Meanwhile, a MM commenter going by the name, "The Pickler," posted a comment to the May 20 post, linking to the above photo on flickr. Unfortunately, the person got wise and closed the flickr account. For the brief period it was active, the Pickler himself had the first comment: “Hi, I moved to Oakland now since everyone wants to be a fucking detective.” [Via Mission Mission]

[Photo: Via SenÓr Pepino/flickr]

Today in questionable uses of technology: Mission Loc@l reporter Armand Emamdjomeh spent all of Saturday in the McDonald's on 24th and Mission streets and live-tweeted his experience. His first tweet went up as the place opened at 5:54 a.m: "Sitting down to breakfast and starting day at 24th and mission mc d's. It's gonna be a long day.#mlnow." The final tweet of the day went up at closing time, 11 p.m. We were a little surprised at the dearth of tweets in between. If we were trapped at a McDonald's for 18 hours and the only thing we had to do was type our thoughts to an audience, you'd better believe we'd be deliriously tapping out knock knock jokes and surreal trains of thought by 9 a.m. We are going to give Mr. Emamdjomeh the benefit of the doubt, though, and suppose he's working on a piece for Mission Local, and was busy taking notes and talking to people. He does weigh in with a number of fun tweets throughout the day. Our favorite: "Two boys just got up the nerve to go sit down w two girls across the restaurant. Godspeed!" [Twitter Via Mission Mission]

[Photo: Via San Diego Shooter/flickr]

Our long national nightmare is over: Mother's Cookies are on the shelves once more in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Washington, according to Serious Eats. The Oakland company responsible for those multicolored animal cookies that have been ground into family and daycare carpets since 1914 shuttered abruptly last October, but was bought by the Kellogg company in December. Now, the Mother's operation is up and running, and delivering to stores in western U.S. The website even has a coupon offer for $.55 off, because your Mother still loves you, even if you're broke. [Via Serious Eats]

[Photo: Via darinmarshall/flickr]

The best table in the house at One Market is the one right next to the kitchen door. This may seem counterintuitive, but we're not talking about the dining room at all, rather the newly opened chef's table right in the kitchen. As Urban Daddy reminds us, the restaurant accepts reservations for the corner booth with views of the waterfront, the Bay Bridge, and the stoves. Dinner at the chef's table is a prix-fixe affair you work out in advance with chef Mark Dommen for $85 per person during the week and $95 on the weekends. A minimum group of four and maximum of seven can book the table, but you can't book it through OpenTable, and the restaurant recommends calling for it as early as possible, lest you wind up at one of those pedestrian, front-of-the-house tables that only overlooks the bay. [One Market via Urban Daddy]

• Gluten intolerance appears to be on the rise, thanks in part to improved diagnostic tools, but it's also possible some people just make it up. [SF Chronicle]

• A couple of Carmel Valley "beer tourists" travel great distances to sample beer around the world. Last year they took a $30,000 beer trip, hitting 90 breweries in seven countries and eight states. Naturally, a book is in the works. [Inside Bay Area]

• Tim and Nina Zagat say service is the weak link in the restaurant industry. They say the most important aspects to improve are hospitality and professionalism. [Atlantic Food Channel]

• Barack and Michelle Obama spent two hours dining at Blue Hill on Saturday night. [Yahoo News]

• Pinkberry founder Young Lee's house looks a little bit like a Pinkberry. [WSJ]

• Papa John's founder John Schnatter is offering $25,000 to anyone who can find the 1972 Camaro he sold for seed money in 1984. [Gothamist]